I’m not sure exactly how many readers keep an eye on our Twitter account: @hackaday. We hit a new milestone today at 40,000 followers. For those of you who have been watching the Twitter feed recently, you’ve probably noticed it’s no longer limited to simply announcing each new post as it hits the front page. Madness, right?
A little over a week ago [Mike] promoted me to the role of Community Editor; a new position here aimed at directly engaging readers. For now, that means helping to guide conversations in the comments toward a degree of helpfulness and productivity. I’ve also sent out a handful of tweets to sort of test the waters, but considering my job is to engage the community, I thought I’d just ask! What can we at Hackaday be doing differently with social media (particularly Twitter) that you would find valuable? Hit up the comments and let us know, or join the conversation on Twitter: #HaDSuggestionBox
When I initially clicked on the link, it was only 39,997 followers. Was this a preemptive post to get those last few, or is there a ~10-minute delay?
Regardless, I went ahead and followed on my (rarely used) Twitter once it said you had 39,999. :) Congrats!
It also tends to fluctuate, too, so that could contribute to more or less!
Thanks for the support =)
Perhaps I don’t understand why anyone would unfollow HAD. :)
Now I just need to make sure I don’t get email announcements. I already click my HAD bookmark more than I should…
I’d REALLY like it if you didn’t fail so abysmally at Google+. It’s hard to imagine that you’ve amassed so many followers on there considering the account only makes 2-4 posts a month.
Hell, even if it just announced new posts on the site, it would be an improvement. You can do that much automatically with something like HootSuite.
So you prefer Google+ over other social media; is it just easier to access and/or have run across your screen because you’re already there for gmail?
Also, while announcing new mainpage posts everywhere is a good start, what else can we be doing, and how do we keep it from being repetitive? HootSuite has been mentioned behind the scenes a few times today, and it definitely provides some powerful options for managing the various social media outlets.
I’d like to structure everything around readers’ needs and wants: are the same people tuned into all three (Twitter, Facebook, Google+) accounts, and what are their expectations from one over the other?
I’ve got a Facebook I occasionally use when a family member wants to send me a picture of an xmas present or something. Don’t care about Twitter except to have vague suspicions about the end of literacy. Resent even having to use Google Plus when all I ever wanted was an email address, which I’ve had for a few years and am happy with. So I don’t do any Google Plussing and don’t really know what it is. Some sort of marketing bullshit to put ads in front of my face, ultimately.
This site has resisted noticable Javascript and even much in the way of graphics, since the start, and I think most of us love it. When I want HAD, I come here, which I do quite a lot since the articles are pretty good. I don’t need it popping up on my phone or whatever, it can wait til I’m ready for it.
You’ve actually got a very accessible site, it’s very easy to find what you came for. You beat most of the web in that. Must be hard for anyone trying to improve it! I think most of the modern “media” stuff only exists to provide jobs for “expert” consultants, and mostly makes things worse for people who can use a computer and their brain at the same time. Most modern media is babyfood.
So, that’s it from the miserable sod contingent, perhaps some teenagers can give you tips on the “social media” that’s so essential to running an Internet nowadays.
I agree that our “leanness” is one of our best features, and I dare not bloat things by contributing unnecessary garbage to Twitter.
Some of the better suggestions we’ve received all fall under the heading of “provides immediate updates / information in a way that doesn’t require it’s own post,” which I think can be worth the effort. Readers who only visiting HaD won’t miss out on anything important, but Twitter may end up providing a bit of an accelerated inside track on developments (such as with [Mat’s] Developed on Hackaday series).
As far as providing updates, I appreciate that the article writer usually follows the comments on his post, so important new information usually gets added there. Sorry for another non-reason!
I looked into that and came to the conclusion that G+ terms of service prevent “bot posting” things. Am I wrong about this?
I would have to say yes, as every brand page seems to be using them. G+ even shows the name of the software that created the post when you check the sharing details (I.E. “XXXX shared this publicly via HootSuite”).
Maybe automated posting is only allowed for Pages, and not individual profiles?
As for usage of the social networks, my experience has been that FB/G+ tend to be polarizing, either you use one or the other. Nobody I personally know has both. Not to make a generalization, but the more technical or artistic minded people I know are on G+, and FB is just for…”normal” people. Make of that what you will.
But people in both camps often have a Twitter account, or at the very least, will check Twitter when they are looking for up-to-date info.
If you are making sure that new articles as being announced on as many social networks as possible, I’d say let the rest develop organically from there. More followers means more eyes on the site (obviously), but also more potential sources for content. It’s very easy to send a message to HaD via FB/G+ while browsing about some interesting hack or project, but only if users see the account is active and engaged.
What is this twitter thing, and why should I care? Same with Bookface. Can’t I just read about Hackaday stuff on, well, here?
I think it’s like a rack of megaphones, each with nearly zero battery life left. Just enough to shout a few words at the Internet before you have to pick up a new one.
I love your comment :)
I remember when Twitter was about fart-sniffing chairs and laundry machines talking about their day at work.
Back when pictures of fail-whales were easier to send than 140 characters of text.
Yup.
#Twitterdisconnect 2.1.2
As long as you are reading the comments anyway, forward or some way noticy the subject of any good ones. And/or figure out a way to put commenters in contact with the project.
For putting commenters in touch with the project, that’s the project’s own business, HAD already links to their web page, let them put up whatever contact links they like. They might not care for 3 pages of raging when they’re trying to launch a business.
For “sharing”, if you must, but PLEASE don’t put those little fuckin’ icons all over the place. Like the ones beneath this text box, now. They’re ok as they are, unobtrusive, but there if one needs them. Don’t end up like, for an extreme example, Zergnet and their list-based hell-network.
Copy and paste still work, everybody!